Sending unused materials back does not finish the account. Keep the return evidence, confirm the agreed credit and check whether the benefit is cash or a future account offset.
Corporate Recovery Partners
01 / 06
The materials have left site, but the charge remains
A supplier agrees to take back unused stock from a finished job. The driver collects it, the site is cleared and everyone moves on. Weeks later, the original invoice is still in your accounts.
Keep the return open until the financial outcome is clear. Moving the materials and correcting the supplier account are separate steps.
Keep the supplier’s agreement, item descriptions, quantities and any conditions. Ask for a collection or receipt reference and preserve it with the original invoice.
Do not assume every item loaded onto the truck has been accepted for the same credit. If the supplier reports damaged packaging or a different count, resolve that difference using the records.
Compare the proposed credit with the return terms, including any agreed collection or restocking charge. Ask for an explanation if the net amount is different from what you expected.
This article concerns an agreed return. It does not establish a general right to return unused materials or decide whether a particular deduction is lawful. Get advice where the terms or rights are disputed.
business.gov.au identifies stock-related expenses and bank transactions as relevant business records. Keep the credit document or refund evidence with the return record so the transaction can be followed from start to finish.
Do not forecast an account credit as a cash refund
A supplier may apply an agreed credit against future purchases rather than send money to your bank. Confirm what was agreed before including a refund in the week’s available cash.
For a hypothetical $2,000 account credit, the immediate bank receipt may be nil. The benefit could instead reduce a later supplier payment. Make that distinction clear in the working figures.
Check the next supplier statement or bank transaction and mark the return complete only when the agreed outcome appears. Keep unresolved quantities and amounts on a follow-up list.
If the supplier refuses an agreed credit and the account remains disputed, give CRP the return agreement, receipt and account history. Those records are more useful than a memory that the truck collected everything.
